Mars One

Sick Of Life On Earth? Try Catching A Ride To Mars With This Guy

Sure, the prospect of abandoning our wonderful planet forever sounds crazy, but once you leave Earth’s orbit, every step you make would inspire the world and benefit humanity.

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I've always dreamed of going to space. I was very inquisitive growing up, and I grew interested in space exploration at an early age, simply because it is the furthest we can go. Space conquest is the most challenging venture humans have faced — but it’s also the most rewarding since, after endless debates about the origins and meaning of life, that’s where any remaining answers probably lie. Maybe we're not alone in the universe; maybe life didn't start on Earth — the vastness of space reminds us that we're still pioneers.

While I'm currently studying business in Sydney, Australia, what I really want to do is work in the aerospace industry. I know becoming an astronaut won’t be a walk in the park, that it would take me years of studying aerospace engineering and probably a lot of luck, too. But then last year I landed on an incredible opportunity: Mars One.

Launched by Dutch businessman Bas Lansdorp, Mars One is a private non-profit organization that plans to establish a permanent human colony on Mars by the year 2025. Using a mix of private donations, crowdsourcing and a scheme to broadcast the colony as a reality TV show, the group plans to colonize the red planet — it hopes to have a group of 20 settlers by 2033, but the first supply mission is slated for as soon as 2016.

However, there’s a catch: It's a one-way trip. The first humans selected to travel to Mars will never come back to Earth, ever. At the moment, we don't have the technology for a return trip from Mars' surface, and the program has earned as many critics as supporters for the riskiness of a one-way trip to an extremely hostile environment that has never before been experienced by humans.

I discovered the Mars One project on a website for space fans, in an article run to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the NASA Curiosity rover’s Mars landing. The piece outlined how the Mars One group had issued a call inviting people from around the world to apply to be a part of the Mars settlement. Anyone above the age of 18 could apply, so long they are physically and mentally healthy — and could pass the rigorous selection process.

Excited, I shouted to myself: “This is it! The opening you’ve been waiting for!” I started weighing the personal and scientific value of the mission to Mars against the possibility of failure. The day when man sets foot on another planet would not only make humanity an inter-planetary species, but it would also inspire the world, bringing back past centuries’ old spirit of adventure and exploring the unknown. It is also a solid option in the more long-term goal of ensuring the species’ survival in case some catastrophic event annihilated the Earth. I applied the next day, even though I considered my chances of making it to the next round very slim.

In Round 1, more than 200,000 people of all different nationalities applied to become the first human settlers on Mars. Applicants had to submit a motivational letter, along with a one-minute video explaining why they would make the best candidate for the mission. Mars One didn't screen applicants based on their professional qualifications, since the 24 to 40 selected final candidates will subsequently undergo seven years of training as full-time Mars One employees.

And of the 1058 people from 107 countries chosen for the second round pool of candidates, I am one.

When it was announced that I had made it to Round 2, I was thrilled. Upon hearing the news, my family was the first to cheer me on. I was so happy, as their immense support cleared any doubts I’d had before I decided to go for it — although with very few exceptions, everyone else thought I was asking for suicide.

Sure, the prospect of abandoning our wonderful planet forever sounds crazy, but once you leave Earth’s orbit, every step you make would inspire the world and benefit humanity. Going boldly where no man has ever gone before and picking up rocks that have never been touched before; to me, there's nothing more satisfying — no matter how short life might be, legacy is what matters

Round 2 candidates are expected to present a medical statement of good health from their physicians and conduct an interview with the Mars One selection committee that will determine who passes to Round 3. Further candidate elimination rounds will consist of physical and mental challenges conducted in Mars simulation habitats — some of the most extreme locations on Earth — where contenders, in groups of four, will compete to demonstrate their capacity for teamwork and ability to survive the harsh conditions of Mars.

Mars One plans to send multiple unmanned cargo missions to Mars to start building functional life support systems prior to the arrival of the first crew. When the first crew launches in 2024, it will be as ethnically diverse as possible, ideally representing each of the five continents.

Among the 1058 people selected to continue to the next round, 38 were from sub-Saharan Africa. Right now, I’m as committed as ever to fulfil my greatest aspiration, of standing up for my native country of Rwanda and for the continent of Africa, the very birthplace of humanity.

Are you a space enthusiast? Do you share my dream? I have good news: Mars One plans to send additional crews of four to the planet every two years, to support and sustain an autonomous thriving colony on the red planet. So maybe your dream of going far away is closer than you think.